I acquired a DIY marbling kit for Christmas so I might be trying this soon. Hopefully I’ll spring for a marbling tray so I don’t stain my bathtub, but I’ve been known to be a less than careful crafter when I’m struck with an urge to make something.

2. Making Candy

I experimented with chocolate and toffee and truffles during the holidays, but I’d never made gummi candy before. Until a few weeks ago. And the thing is, it’s SO easy! You just mix a large box of Jell-O with 3 packets of plain gelatin and 2/3 cup of water, let it sit for 5 minutes, then boil it until the crystals dissolve. Then you pour it into little silicone molds (it makes about two molds since there is so little liquid involved), let it sit for half an hour, and they pop RIGHT out. Easiest thing ever. Totally gross and artificial, but who am I to criticize that. I love candy.

3. Nurturing A Creative Soul

My son is really coming into his own as a tiny artist. He is not one to receive instruction or take direction often or with ease, but he has been asking for drawing lessons lately, and I oblige. He even added some…umm…”flair” to a rough sketch of mine. I’m not sure that it needed purses or Christmas trees, but he thought it did.

4. Rocks

A few weeks ago I rediscovered my childhood “100 Rocks of North America” chart, and it brought back awesome memories.

It’s hard to tell from my picture, but they really are super colorful and cover a wide spectrum of neutrals. They remind me of these agate platters from LEIF ($50 – currently sold out, but they should be back in stock soon).

5. Free Stuff!

I’ll be doing a GIVEAWAY on the blog next week! Look out for it – it’s a good one!

Before you delve into this post, I’m editing it to add that I posted my Friday post on a Thursday. AND I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS THURSDAY until my cousin sent me an email saying “Happy Thursday” and I went “She’s crazy…oh…wait…it’s me.”. See, it’s been a long week, and my husband has a big project due today that’s kept him working until later than 10pm most nights. But he’s done with it today, and my clients are almost done for the week, and I finally have child-care relief tonight! So that basically means today is Friday for me. But not you. In short: expect no post tomorrow. Now…

I admit that this week I had to search my own blog to see what colors were being ignored. Turns out I had prevalent and recent hues of everything but orange. So since it’s the absolute tail-end of peach season (we can say that, right? It isn’t over, right?) today’s color is Peach!

How about that DOOR?! I love it. And I especially love the way the above images take a little of the saccharin out of super-feminine peach, and infuse it with some edge via the Moroccan-inspired graphic aesthetic (see the shapes? the cushions? the geometric curves and variety of metals?). Enjoy this plethora of perfect peach objects. Each one is ripe for your decor!

Here we go again…another deviation from my specialty – design – into the world of food. But this is worth it. Trust me.

It’s a miracle in my house is all three of us can agree on the same dinner, save for mac-and-cheese/pizza/tacos. But I think we’ve found a new item for the “sure-thing” rotation: Peanut Noodles! These are thai-inspired (which means that I disclaim any actual authenticity) but the flavors are there. Here’s the basic idea:

If you’re interested in trying this dish out in your house I’ll give you my basic instructions; as you probably know if you follow my blog, I’m not big on exacting recipes.

First, make some noodles: we use fettuccine, but you could use spaghetti, penne, ditalini, soba noodles, or what ever you like.

While the water boils and the noodles cook, saute bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots in some canola oil; use between 2 and 4 cups of fresh veggies. (I didn’t include canola oil in my collage: forgive me, it just isn’t that sexy). When they’re basically done, throw in some frozen shelled edamame. Turn the heat off.

Mix together your sauce. For half of a box of noodles (4 servings) I use the following proportions: about 1/2 cup of peanut butter, about 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, and water, and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil. Into that mixture, grate about a “thumb’s worth” of ginger; you’re going to need a microplane. Squeeze in the juice of about 1/2 of a small lime. Whisk it together; you’ll need a whisk because the peanut butter is stronger than your spoon.

At this point your sauce is ready to roll. Your veggies have cooked but are still crunchy. Your noodles should be just about done. When they are done, drain them and put them back in the pot they cooked in. Add the veggie mixture, pour in the sauce, and stir it all up. Throw in about a handful of chopped cilantro, and you’re DONE.

It’s that easy.

If you’re like me and love spiciness, there is one last crucial step:

There. Now you’re done.

You can get the yellow and white bowl pictured above here at CB2 for $30.

I hope you enjoy this easy dinner as much as we do. Have a great rest of the short week!

Much like “floral“a few weeks ago, “ombre” isn’t really a color, but it’s a trend that’s pretty popular right now. Therefore, today’s Color Friday is Ombre! The term refers to the slight gradation of color from one shade to another, or from one hue to another. Here are a few examples:

A single instance of ombre can range from bright red to pale yellow (as seen in the flowers above), or from a very subtle green to a rich deep green, which keeps the ombre within the same hue (seen in the chic dresser above). It also refers to a hair color technique that is fairly popular right now, where your highlights or “color” is concentrated towards the tips and the natural or darker color is at the roots: a style which I have unintentionally – but fashionably! – been rocking for some time now. Another place we’re seeing a lot of ombre lately, and I kid you not, is cakes (shown above): the Pinterest crowd surely knows what I mean!

Anyway…ombre is, in a word, pretty. And gentle. And feminine. And modern. In short: most paint chips you see, with the progression from light to dark, are ombre. Below are some lovely ombre picks. Enjoy!

Today is a blue kind of day. The sky is a clear and gorgeous shade of blue, and I’m a little bit sad because my son’s wonderful, sweet, and kind day care provider is retiring, and today is his last day with her. The kids are a little too young to get it, but the moms…oh, the moms are SAD. And so it is: today is blue. Just a little bit blue.

On a more positive note, did you see that gorgeous light from Niche Modern? And I love the necklace: it’s meant for teething children to chew on (because what mom hasn’t had their baby teeth on their jewels, right?) but it would be stunning without a baby and with a neutral sundress or cardigan!

This week’s Find of the Week is just in time for spring entertaining! The Round Sequin Tray ($150) from Serena & Lily is part of their new “Africa Collection,” which is chock full of other neat finds.

Round Sequin Tray, $150 (image via Serena and Lily)

It’s made of recycled woven materials in Swaziland by artisans who create part time, which allows them to maintain their traditional lifestyles. Use this tray to hold some appetizers, and plate them on these equally lovely Moroccan Dessert Plates ($18 each) from Jayson Home and Garden !